FAQs

For many reasons. Cypress is well known for its resistance to insects, rot and decay. Its color consistency and relative lack of knots are distinctive characteristics which make cypress an excellent choice for outdoor furniture. It glues well, sands easily and readily accepts finishes.

The only downside to cypress is that since we began building furniture more than 20 years ago, cypress has nearly tripled in price!

Speaking of high prices, that's the reason teak is impossible to use in stateside furniture production. Teak costs more than $50 per board foot. A board foot is a 12” square of wood, one inch thick. Even our smallest piece of furniture uses 3-5 board feet of lumber. Larger pieces can use 10-15 board feet. That means the cost of material for teak is prohibitively expensive.

We'll never sell plastic furniture. While plastic is everywhere, we don't want to add to the environmental disaster plastic has created. When wood reaches the end of its useful life, it simply becomes food for other organisms, a good thing.

Most of our products are delivered to you in a partially assembled state which allows us to ship these items more economically. Assembly instructions are always included. All that's required of you is a little time (typically 10-30 minutes) and a square-drive screwdriver. Of course, we'll be happy to assist you with any assembly questions. Just email us or give us a call.

Most orders ship within 3-5 weeks of receipt, depending on the size of the order and time of year. Call us before you order if you want a better sense of lead time. Delivery time is typically 2-5 business days. If we anticipate a delay, we’ll let you know.

Wood is made mostly of cellulose and lignin. Cellulose is fibrous and gives wood its strength. Lignin is a kind of natural glue that holds the fibrous stuff together. Ultraviolet (UV) light changes the lignin molecule in wood so that it loses its adhesive properties. The lignin leeches out of the wood, leaving a rough, fibrous gray surface. If you apply a finish to the wood–a stain or sealer or paint–you can slow the process down and help your furniture last longer.

Of any exterior finish, paint offers the best form of protection, but it’s the most difficult to maintain. Paint will eventually peel and will be more unsightly over time than a wipe-on finish like a sealer or a colored stain. In fact, most outdoor finishes will only last 1-2 years before they need to be renewed. That takes a commitment on your part to periodically protect your furniture.

Regardless of the finish you choose, you should wipe off dirt or grass clippings and wash your furniture periodically with mild soap and water. Application of a sealer or stain every few years will continue to protect the wood.

If you don’t intend to renew the finish on your outdoor furniture, the wood will turn a silvery gray color and last for many years with periodic cleaning and by keeping it off bare ground.

Important: Do not leave chair or table legs in contact with earth for extended periods of time. This is a prescription for rot. Your furniture will last much longer if it rests on bricks or concrete or flagstone–any kind of hard surface that doesn’t retain moisture and harbor insects.

Yes. Just call or email us with your request. We’ll review it and determine if customization is feasible. Please be aware that custom pieces are usually more expensive because they require additional time to design and build.

Sure. We enjoy getting suggestions from our customers. If you would like to see a certain product in our shop, just call or email and we’ll give it prompt consideration and let you know what we can do.

Only for two or more of the Omni Pagoda stands since the stand is designed to work in combination with other variations of the stand. Each piece of Fatpatio furniture is priced to give you a great value and provide us a living wage. 

Unfortunately, we are unable to ship outside the 48 contiguous states. 

Yes it is.

No we don't. That said, if you're ever near Winston-Salem, feel free to stop by the shop. Just give call us first to make sure we're available.

Knots, checks, and other small blemishes do not affect the structural integrity or durability of your furniture. They’re part of the normal lifecycle of wood.

All our furniture is shipped unfinished. While applying finish will provide protection from UV light and weather, it increases the cost and time needed to build and ship your furniture. Since finishes need renewal, customers can apply a finish and get a sense of what it takes to maintain a finish over time. Many of our customers simply allow the wood to turn gray, a perfectly acceptable choice for outdoor furniture.